Megaload Opponents Claim Victory

LEWISTON, Idaho (AP) — Megaload opponents are claiming victory after the last two oversized shipments of equipment headed for an oil sands project in Canada left the Port of Lewiston. The Lewiston Tribune reports about 45 protesters, and nearly as many law enforcement officers, ushered the Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil megaloads through Moscow Tuesday night. The loads will continue on interstates 90 and 15 through Montana before traveling into northern Alberta. Citizens of Idaho and Montana challenged Imperial Oil's efforts to move much larger loads along U.S. Highway 12. The one Imperial Oil megaload that traveled on U.S. 12 was a test module that remains parked in Montana near the state line. A Montana judge ruled last month the state Department of Transportation must do a more extensive environmental review before allowing such oversized loads to use the state's highways.